Man arrested over Marsha murder

Man arrested over Marsha murder

Marsha McDonnell died yards from her front door

Police investigating the murder of the gap year student Marsha McDonnell have arrested a 22-year-old man.

The man was arrested by armed officers, believed to have been acting on a tip-off, near New Malden station in south-west London on Thursday.

He is believed to be from Hampton, also in south-west London, where Miss McDonnell was killed on 4 February.

He is also being questioned about attacks on two teenagers which took place within a mile radius of the murder.

A small crowd gathered as police surrounded the man in an alleyway near the station at 1700 GMT.

William Cutts, 32, manager of a bar opposite the scene of the arrest said: "I was working and there was a bit of a commotion outside on the corner. I went outside, there were a lot of police and there were scenes of crime officers just turning up."

Click here for a more detailed map showing the linked incidents

He added: "I have never seen that many police around here before. It was a massive operation."

Miss McDonnell, 19, was hit over the head with a blunt instrument just yards from her home in Priory Road, Hampton.

She had just got off the 111 bus from Kingston after a night out at the cinema with friends.

A reconstruction of her last known movements and an appeal for information were made on the BBC's Crimewatch UK programme on Wednesday night.

'Overwhelming response'

Over 200 calls were later made to detectives who described the response as "overwhelming".

An 18-year-old boy escaped uninjured when he was attacked by a hooded man in nearby Hampton Hill in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

A 17-year-old girl woke up with head injuries in hospital after walking home a mile away in Strawberry Hill on 8 January.

She is still seriously ill.